Bottle packing machine



Sept. 20, 1960 H. J. LEICHENICH ET AL 2,952,955

BOTTLE PACKING MACHINE Filed July '7. 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS:

linfil t-arkp 1950 H. J. LEICHENICH ET AL 2,952,955

BOTTLE PACKING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July '7, 1958 U i ed Sta P t nt) 2,952,955 BOTTLE PACKING MACHINE Hans Josef Leichenich, Koln-Bickendorf, and Werner Abendroth, Bergisch-Gladbach, Germany, assignors t 'Niehler Maschinenfabrik, Koln-Niehl, Germany Filed July 7, 1958, Ser. No. 747,098 Claims priority, application Germany Zluly 12, 1957 I 3 Claims. (Cl. 53-61) The present invention relates to a packing machine and, more specifically, to an automatic bottle packing machine.

With heretofore known automatic bottle packing machines in which the bottles are moved by means of a conveyor belt to a magazine, the magazine is arranged in such a way that the-entrance openings for the magazine are located at one end of the conveyor belt in longitudinal direction of the latter. 1 For purposes of filling the magazine, the bottles arriving on the belt are fed to a distributor system composed of a plurality of feeding paths, and the bottles are, due to the pressure of the succeeding bottles, arranged in rows adjacent each other ahead of each entrance opening.

The above known arrangement has the drawback that the bottles accumulate in front of the distributing system. In I order to prevent the belt from sliding below the bottles whereby the further feeding movement would be interrupted, the belt has to be loaded with so many bottles that the weight thereof will overcome the accumulating pressure in front of the distributing system. Since, furthermore, the width of the belt depends on the width of the magazine, theabove mentioned heretofore known packing machines have to be designed for packing one single bottle size only and cannot be adjusted for different bottle sizes.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a bottle packing machine, which will overcome the abovementioned drawbacks.

It is another object of this invention to provide a bottle packing machine which, without requiring great expenditure and while avoiding accumulations of the bottles in front of the magazine, will allow a proper filling of the magazine with bottles even if the belt is loaded unevenly and sparsely with bottles to be packed.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a bottle packing machine which, without requiring any change in the feeding belt, will allow the-packing of bottles into various size magazines.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connectionwith the accompanying drawing in which Fig! 1' diagrammatically and perspectively illustrates abottle packing machine according to the present invention.

Fig. 2. diagrammatically illustrates the control means for controlling certain operations of the bottle packing machine of Fig. 1.

General arrangement The bottle packing machine according to the present invention is characterized primarily in that the magazine is arranged alongside the belt, i.e. along the longitudinal side of the belt, in such -a way that its entrance openings are located laterally of and adjacent to the conveyor belt. The arrangement furthermore comprises a slide movable transverse to the conveyor belt and controlled in such a way that each time a row of bottles corresponding in number to the number of entrance openings in the maga- 2,952,955. Patentedsept.

zine is placed in front of said entrance openings, said slide will move said bottles into the entrance o'penings' of the magazine. Means arranged in front of the magazine check the readiness of the bottles for their introduction into the magazine and control the feeding slide.

Inasmuch as in this way the introduction of the bottles into the magazine is effected by a slide, the belt has merely to transport the bottles so that less driving power is required for the belt and the conveyor can be designed correspondingly lighter. The arrangement of a checking mechanism checking the readiness of the bottles or bottle row for introduction into the magazine and controlling the time of feeding the bottles into the magazine by said slide assures a proper packing process without any difiiculties. Furthermore, the arrangement according to the invention also makes it possible to employ the same in connection with different size magazines without requiring a change in the conveyor.

Structural arrangement ing over the entire width of the magazine 1. Slide 3 has its end 4 somewhat bent toward the magazine for catching and grasping the bottles.

Perpendicularly below the bottom of the magazine, which bottom is adapted to be opened, there is provided a lift6'for receiving an empty packing container 5. The

bottles which are advanced on the conveyor belt 2 are counted by means of an electric counting mechanism 7 which is arranged ahead of the magazine 1. This counting mechanism 7 controls slide 3. When a number of bottles has been counted which corresponds to the number of entrance openings 26, counting mechanism 7 turns on a pump 8 which deliverspressure fluid to and thereby actuates an actuating piston 9 for slide 3. As a result thereof, slide 3 is moved toward magazine 1 and intro duces the bottles in front of said slide through entrance openings 26 into the magazine. The fluid in front of piston 9 is returned through conduit 10 and pump 11 into a fluid reservoir 12. Magazine 1 is equipped with a feeler 13 which is abutted by slide 3 at the end of each feeding movement. The feeler 1-3 initiates the return stroke of slide 3. Feeler 13 actuates pump 11 .by means of which pressure fluid is conveyed to the other side of piston 9, i.e. the return side of piston 9 so that slide 3 will carry out a return stroke away from the magazine.

' This cycle is repeated until the entire magazine is filled.

When this occurs, an automatic device initiating the removal of the magazine becomes effective. This device comprises a lifthaving an empty packing container there-. on which is raised by said lift against the bottom of the magazineywhile normally closed passagesin the magae zine are opened sothat the bottles in the magazineiwill then drop into said empty packing container. Thereupon the packing container is lowered by said lift and is conveyed to a discharging station while another empty packing container is placed upon the lift.

In connection with the lateral movement of bottle slide 3, since the bottle conveyor belt 2 moves continuously, bottles will still advance on the conveyor when the slide is not in position to receive them. To prevent such bottles from passing behind the slide, there is the bottle stop 3:: provided, which may be a stiff sheet metal member attached to the end of slide 3, as illustrated in Figure 1 so as to extend out at right angles therefrom and about as wide as belt 2. This will stop any bottles reaching the end of the slide while the slide is moving laterally.

'in front of stop 3a. a;

for the slideito so move is about a second or Y less so that only from three to four bottles will collect the ,first introduced. into the. lmagazine are. :pushed against a feeler.14 at that..side-.of themagazinewhichis opposite slide 3. IL'Wilhbfl appreciatedthat. whileslide.

interfering with the automation of the packing operation. If, however, the walls of the magazine consist of a synthetic material of the ahoveimentioned type, these walls can easily absorb and yield under the respective impacts so that the above mentioned drawback will be avoided.

It is, of course, to belunderstood that the present invention is, by no.. .m eans, limited ,tolthelparticular construction shown in the drawingbutalso comprises any modifications thejse p' frtthe; appended. claims; InFig. .2 is shownhomtliebottomiof thefmagazineis opened and shut with-thecontrolling members which are necessary forthati a towardone side so that the bottles can pass freel y down v war lx' int h -r spe ti n c i s;. ner 5-1 W en lift 6'reaches its uppermost position,; a. feeler. 29,, is. actu ated and shuts ofi pump 15. .Subsequently, due'to the weight of the filled containenlift'fimoves downwardly liackr'into its initial; positionrflDuring'. the: downward movement of lift; 6, lever; 31 automatically returnsithe magazine .bottom 30 tolits no'rmal position; in -,which: it. supports the bottles. inlthemagazinerj At;the:'end.:of the downward movementoflift. 6,; a;feeler 18; is actuated .by

means-.of which pump 112 is iturned on; againrwhich thenfeed'sl.pressure. fluid into. a cylinder- 20ioperatively1con: nected to .a; slide 21. and r adaptedio. reciprocate thecsame; Slide 21 will then by means. ofth'e respectiveemptycone.

Whatweclaimis:

1. In a bottle packingimachine': ,asnra'gazineehaving a plurality of entrance openings forreceiving the bottles to be packed, a conveyor adapted to'rec'eive and tofeed the bottles to be packed to said magazine, said magazine being arranged. adjacent to: and, alongsidega longit'udinal side of said. conveyor :with; the, entrance openings; ofjSaid. magazine arranged adjacentsaid.conY wrea-sli s. p

transverse :gtd. the longitu i al; di cctioni of said; conveyor; and. adapted to gpickr from; said..-conveyor-, a a plurality ofbottles andrto feed .th'e;same in.to; said;magazine:through tamer-22 push theyfilledcontainerfi; off from. lift;6 .so

thatfthe filledicontainetwill bereplaced by an. empty contaiuen. The; empty containersare. fed:.in; frontsof slidefld by means of a .roller conveyor. 24. .At the end of the. feeding :movement of; slide 21; an abutment. 27. isactuated whichin .turnactuate'smlswitch 25-. by. means. .of which pump; 23. is caused: to feedfiuid'to the:opposite. sideof the pistonincylinder 20j-so that slide 21' will be returned to its :startingposition. It' will be appreciated thatzthe end position of. slide..21= is limited by; switch 25 which thenturnsoif'pump .19 and turns on pump'zlfor the return of: slide 21. Whenslide. 21 reaches its. end position, a feeler or switch-28;.isengaged, which turns pumpz3ofiagainr ff According to. a further: development .of. theinvention, the :walls o'f'the magazine receiving the bottles :frorrr slide Slandifrom which the bottles slide into anemptypacking container 5 below said magazine are produced'of a wear. resistant and elastic synthetic material as, forinstance nylon.

The construction of the walls. of the: magazine of such syntheticlmaterial is advantageous in the followingree' spect. It has been found, especially when the bottlesare labeled, that during. the slidingmovementof thebottles from thev magazine into the empty packing container. therebelow the labels might be damaged and mighteven be=stripped off: the bottle; This would require a new checking of the bottles and possibly re-labeling of some of the bottles thereby complicating theentireprocess and said renamed-openness;liftiaxrangedibel wsa d; a azinc.- and adapted. to receive: a-packing;container; and to. lift. the same intoi aposi ion elow: and djac 4 6 bottom of said magazine,- first CQILHIQLIIIGEIJS associated withsaiimagazine and; operable in responsetothecomplete filling of saidcmagazine to; initiate the. lifting movement of said lift, second control means responsive; to the packing {container on said,;lift reaching; .itslifted end position for; releasing the'bottles from; said magazine into. said packing container; thirdtcontrolgmeans responsive to the pressure; of a certain .weight, on,said Jitter-initiating downward movement. ofasaid'lift and: means responsive to said lift reaching the; endi position a of; its; downward movement, for causing removali of saidsfilled-packingcontainer. on said: lift from 311116,. latter whileg-feeding another empty packingpontainerjonto;saidliftr; a I 2,. A packing machineaccordingto. claimv 1,1which in-. cludes fluid.v pressuremperablegmeans. for actuating said slide and discharging the bottles from saidemagazine and also for replacing the; filled container on saidrliftby an empty. container. L f

3. A packing machineaccording tosclaiml in; which said fluid pressure operable; means, comprisesa plurality of. fluidgoperable cylinder piston systems for'respectively reciprocating; saidrslide actuating said lift and. replacing a filled: packing container. on said lift-by an empty one, and; in which ;there is. provideda-plurality of pump units respectively communicating, with; said; cylinder piston systems.

References Cited in;the. .file ofthispatent V UNITED STATES PATENTS;

2,842,912 Merkner et al. Ji1ly 15,1958 

